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NFPA 790 and NFPA 791 Now a Criterion for Field Evaluation Bodies

In the U.S. workplace, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) mandates that all electrical equipment be safety certified. Many state, county and local jurisdictions also have similar requirements.

However, equipment is sometimes installed that has not been certified or has been modified after installation.

Sample Field Evaluation Label

Then, a field evaluation may be necessary, as determined by the authority having jurisdiction (AHJ).

OSHA has an accreditation program for Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratories (NRTLs), but no similar program exists for organizations that evaluate products in the field. Therefore, there are dozens of testing companies that claim competency to conduct field evaluations of electrical equipment.

Now, new National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Standards 790 and 791 can provide a way to verify such claims.

NFPA 791, Recommended Practice and Procedures for Unlabeled Electrical Equipment Evaluation
This standard was developed to describe recommended field evaluation procedures for field evaluation bodies, including:

Field evaluations should be drawn principally from the applicable nationally recognized product safety standard

Equipment must be capable of being installed in accordance with the NEC

All deficiencies are identified in a report that is provided to the client and the AHJ. Corrective actions may be taken to resolve these deficiencies, and when all issues are satisfactorily resolved, a label is applied by the field evaluation body to the equipment.